Tool for manipulating pneumatic tires.



N fsa mssr v v PATENTED JAN. 8', 1907.

- *L. L.HELLBR & o. HANCOCK.

MANIPULA-TING PNEUMATIC j-TIRE APPLICATION FILED SEPT.20,1904. I

[TOOL FOR WITNESSES:

warm/17k lating Pneumatic UNITED STATES PATENT o FIoE.-

. LEWIS LAVANAWAY HELLER AND COOPER-WILLIAM HANCOCK, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK; SAID HANCOCK ASSIGNOR TO SAID HELLER.

TOOL FOR 'NIANIP ULATING PNEUMATIC TIRES- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEwIs LAVANAWAY hamton, State of New York, have invented new and Tools for Manipuuseful Improvements in Tires, of which the following, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact desori tion.

T 's invention relates to a tool for manipulating the shoes of pneumatic tires, and is specially adapted for handling the heavy clencher-tires of automobiles, in which an inner inflatable tube is used. These shoes are split circumierentially through their in.- ner sides, and their meeting edges are formed with annular ribs or flanges which interlock with opposed annular grooves and fianges in the rim of the wheel to hold the shoe and inner tube in place, suitable lugs being also interposed between the flap of the shoe and rim and pass through apertures in said rim to prevent creeping of the tire upon the rim.

In order to properly lace the inner tube within the shoe and to ibcate the valve and lugs so as to enter their respective apertures in the rim of the wheel, it is necessary to spread or open the meeting edges of the shoe a considerable distance, and owing to the cross-sectional form and rigidity of the shoe the work is therefore laborious and requires considerable strength.

tional cost of manufacture or extra labor or time in changing from one size tire to another. i

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of our invention, showing its use in spreading the meeting edges of the shoe of a large tire; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tool seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the same tool, showing the Specification of Letters Patent. Applloation'filed September 20,1904. Serial No. 225,201.

at the ot er side of which-hold the bolt from endwise displace- Patented Jan. 8, 1907.

hook as reversed for use on. smaller tires. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4 4 of In carrying out the objects stated we provide a suitable bar 1, preferably of flat wrou ht-iron, with handle 2 at one end and a broa flat bearing 3 at its other end, which in operation is adapted to engage or rest upon. the tread ofthe shoe, as shown in Fig. 1 At a suitable distance from the fulcrum end or bearing 3 this bar is provided with an aperture 4, in which is swiveled a shank. or bolt 5, hav' at one side of the bar an eye 6 and said bar a retaining-nut 7,

ment, but allows said bolt to rotate in the aperture 4 A U-shape bar 8 has its central portion journaled in the eye 6, and its 0 posite arms are rovided with hooks 9, whic are spread a suitable distance apart to en zzfge one of the meeting edges of the shoe at erent points in its circumference and are located at a distance from the bar substantially equal to the depth or diameter of the tire. The U-shape bar 8, with its hooks 9, constitutes what may be termed a swinging reversible grapple, and in Figs. 1 and 2 this grapple is shown in one osition for manipulating or spreading the arger size automobile tires, while in Figs. 3 and 4 it is shown as revolved a halfturn and as rocked to throw its hooks to the o posite side of the bar, which latter is simy inverted to bring the grapple in position or operating upon smaller size tires or shoes. In the o eration of our invention the flat 3 is rested upon the tread of the shoe, as a, and the operator then takes the other end 2 in one hand and rocks the graple so as to place the hooks 9 under one edge of the shoe. Then with the bearing end 3, fulcrumed on the tread of the shoe, the o erator sim ly raises the handle 2, and thereli or raws the adjacent edge of the shoe outwardlv and upwardly until sufliciently open to ermit the free insertion of the inner tube, as and also the several retaining-lugs, as c, which may be done with the other hand of the operator. The shoe may be easily held in this spread or open position as long as debearing en y hits also the lugs c are properly alined with and placed in-their respective apertures in the rim, as (Z.

It is believed that the foregoing description and accompanying drawin s are sufiiciently clear to enable any one skiled in thls art to make and use the device.

Having described our invention, what we a flat earing-face on its opposite end, and a 1 U-shape grappling-bar swivel connected to the bar, each arm .of the U-shape bar having a hook on its extremity.

2; A tool for the purpose described, comv prisin a bar having ahandle ononeend and armg on its other end, an eyebolt roa flat tatabl mounted on the bolt, and a Urshape.

gra pXe-bar centrally j ournaled in the eye of sea It whereby said U-shape bar'may be rotated in planes at right angles to each other to causeit to stra dle the first-named bar or'to he wholly at one side of the same;

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands on this 14th da of Se tember 1904. 7 1p p LEWIS LAVANAWAY 'HELLER. Guerra WILLIAM aareoex,

Witnesses FRANK 1). Olson, CHAs. P. WALns. 

